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Wunderkind: A Zero-Point Awakening Novel
How do you defeat an enemy you cannot touch? When you're fighting shadows, it pays to remember what might be lurking behind the curtain.
When the usually sleepy university city of Oxford, England is beset by a series of horrific murders, Elliot Goshawk, a fresh arrival to Oxford and one of the youngest to ever pass admission, must overcome his fear and defeat the murderer. At just fourteen, Elliot may not appear to have the skills for the job, but he has had an unusual childhood. Trained from birth as an assassin, there's no one better qualified to stop this menace.
With a wayward time traveller, a professor of the arcane, and a city full of intelligence operatives on his tail, can Elliot find a way to take on and defeat the deadly alien shadow? Are MI6 agents really harder than those from the Coldhorn Initiative? Do they do any actual studying in Oxford?
Because Elliot also has another, deeper secret and something he fears above everything else: it might have been his fault that the shadow creature emerged in the first place.
This science-fiction thriller is a dark and humorous tale of wayward superheroes, the evil megacorporation stalking them, and the teamwork it will take to save the world.
If you are a fan of The Avengers, X-Men, The Boys, Watchmen, Guardians of the Galaxy, or Stranger Things, you will love the action-packed prequel of this humorous serialized science fiction superhero thriller.
When the usually sleepy university city of Oxford, England is beset by a series of horrific murders, Elliot Goshawk, a fresh arrival to Oxford and one of the youngest to ever pass admission, must overcome his fear and defeat the murderer. At just fourteen, Elliot may not appear to have the skills for the job, but he has had an unusual childhood. Trained from birth as an assassin, there's no one better qualified to stop this menace.
With a wayward time traveller, a professor of the arcane, and a city full of intelligence operatives on his tail, can Elliot find a way to take on and defeat the deadly alien shadow? Are MI6 agents really harder than those from the Coldhorn Initiative? Do they do any actual studying in Oxford?
Because Elliot also has another, deeper secret and something he fears above everything else: it might have been his fault that the shadow creature emerged in the first place.
This science-fiction thriller is a dark and humorous tale of wayward superheroes, the evil megacorporation stalking them, and the teamwork it will take to save the world.
If you are a fan of The Avengers, X-Men, The Boys, Watchmen, Guardians of the Galaxy, or Stranger Things, you will love the action-packed prequel of this humorous serialized science fiction superhero thriller.
- GenresScience Fiction
244 pages, Paperback
Published April 10, 2021
111 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
ZZ Adams
17 books23 followersMeet Damian Jay Clay and Andrew J Savage, two formerly respectable and marginally talented writers who joined forces in 2020 with the ill-fated mission of bringing you exciting speculative fiction. Based in the UK and Japan, these two work from the comfort of their virtual office on Discord--but be warned, they are now at my mercy, a vengeful being determined to punish them for their crimes against literature. Will they escape my matrix and save themselves, or will they ultimately be fully assimilated and destroyed?
Find out on zzadams website and join my newsletter to stay updated on their fate. Muhahahaha...Haha!
Find out on zzadams website and join my newsletter to stay updated on their fate. Muhahahaha...Haha!
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 21, 2021
Now I have to read the next book!
I hate book series ... okay, I hate good book series. That means I have to find the next book in the series to read. I'm doing that.
There are a lot of characters and different plot paths. I was apprehensive about that because it can get confusing in some less well written stories. Not this one. Even though not all the plot paths were wrapped up, you still know the destination. But you have to continue with the next book and I was thoroughly hooked. There were a few grammatical mistakes (missing words), but I'm putting that down to the printer not the writer.
The action is really good and kept me engaged. I wish there were a little more description of the mundane settings, but that's a personal preference, not a flaw in the story. I liked the characters and I'm hoping they will have more background explanations (especially some of the minor characters) in the following stories.
I say run out a get a copy. Just be prepared to want more at the end.
I hate book series ... okay, I hate good book series. That means I have to find the next book in the series to read. I'm doing that.
There are a lot of characters and different plot paths. I was apprehensive about that because it can get confusing in some less well written stories. Not this one. Even though not all the plot paths were wrapped up, you still know the destination. But you have to continue with the next book and I was thoroughly hooked. There were a few grammatical mistakes (missing words), but I'm putting that down to the printer not the writer.
The action is really good and kept me engaged. I wish there were a little more description of the mundane settings, but that's a personal preference, not a flaw in the story. I liked the characters and I'm hoping they will have more background explanations (especially some of the minor characters) in the following stories.
I say run out a get a copy. Just be prepared to want more at the end.
May 17, 2021
Imagine Quantum Leap with 4 threads and no introduction. Then contradict most of what the unreliable narrators tell you. Confuse the action scenes and make them unrealistic. At 30%, I began to get irritated by vague pronouns, missing commas, time slips, and sudden superpowers that would have totally changed earlier scenes. Nobody was competent or knew what was going on. The worst was when a trained super agent meets the monster for the third time and has the drop on it, he doesn’t pull the trigger like he’s been waiting to for days--but his mistake isn't fatal like it was for the last 13 people. Instead, police haul the unconscious victim off for the crime inflicted on them. Next, the person who might have done something to solve it develops *amnesia.* The plotting was bad and the main characters weak.
July 27, 2021
Futuristic fantasy set partly in Oxford
Take James Bond with his skillset minus the women, put him in a surveillance gig where MI6 are noobs if not the opposition and you get Hallelujah Jones, timetraveler since 1950. Add some portal hopping, references to La Voisin’s sorcery and a superpowered assassin teen whose destiny is to save all worlds and stir briskly. An enjoyable read and set in the lovely Oxford (UK), though college names have been disguised. I can totally see this as a movie with Daniel Craig as Hal. Can’t wait to find out what happens to the wunderkind kid Elliot in book 2.
Take James Bond with his skillset minus the women, put him in a surveillance gig where MI6 are noobs if not the opposition and you get Hallelujah Jones, timetraveler since 1950. Add some portal hopping, references to La Voisin’s sorcery and a superpowered assassin teen whose destiny is to save all worlds and stir briskly. An enjoyable read and set in the lovely Oxford (UK), though college names have been disguised. I can totally see this as a movie with Daniel Craig as Hal. Can’t wait to find out what happens to the wunderkind kid Elliot in book 2.
May 8, 2021
Time travel, spys, occult and fighting.
Definitely a action book.
Fairly well written and does have a plot interwoven in it. Not all like this do.
Worth a look if you like action & and a bit of occult mystery.
Definitely a action book.
Fairly well written and does have a plot interwoven in it. Not all like this do.
Worth a look if you like action & and a bit of occult mystery.
July 15, 2021
Awakened
I'm not obsessed with sci-fi but this is a good one. It caught my attention and then I couldn't put it down. At one point it got confusing but then it all came together. You can probably tell I don't write many reviews.... But the story was good.
I'm not obsessed with sci-fi but this is a good one. It caught my attention and then I couldn't put it down. At one point it got confusing but then it all came together. You can probably tell I don't write many reviews.... But the story was good.
September 19, 2021
A masterful entry into the fantasy realm of the multiverse!
Multiple viewpoints converge into a marvelous story of good against evil with time and universe travel thrown in for good measure.
Multiple viewpoints converge into a marvelous story of good against evil with time and universe travel thrown in for good measure.
May 5, 2022
Interesting Story
I found this to be a very interesting story. Filled with apparently unrelated bizarre occurrences but all are tied together toward the end. I look forward to getting the next story.
I found this to be a very interesting story. Filled with apparently unrelated bizarre occurrences but all are tied together toward the end. I look forward to getting the next story.
August 12, 2022
A Good, Complex story
This series has a great, complex storyline. And it has some great dialogue. I am not sure why I have given it four stars rather than five. But this work seems to be missing some vital element. Non the less it is a great story.
This series has a great, complex storyline. And it has some great dialogue. I am not sure why I have given it four stars rather than five. But this work seems to be missing some vital element. Non the less it is a great story.
June 22, 2021
Awesome storytelling and great set of characters!
Read
May 29, 2023I was drawn to the novel from the first few pages! There was so much going on that I had to keep reading to understand the different storylines and how they work together to create a riveting novel full of action, adventure, and urban fantasy! I'm glad I chose to read this novel as part of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge.
January 6, 2024
I was drawn to the novel from the first few pages! There was so much going on that I had to keep reading to understand the different storylines and how they work together to create a riveting novel full of action, adventure, and urban fantasy! I'm glad I chose to read this novel as part of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge.
August 8, 2024
A good read considering
A bit confusing at times. But overall I did enjoy it. The similarities between primary characters and their support personnel’s overlapping missions made for additional confusion. Considering the time shifts and special abilities elements, I must limit my rating to “maybe”.
A bit confusing at times. But overall I did enjoy it. The similarities between primary characters and their support personnel’s overlapping missions made for additional confusion. Considering the time shifts and special abilities elements, I must limit my rating to “maybe”.
August 2, 2023
Interesting book with fun characters
There were a lot of threads to this story which luckily most tie together at the end and explain things. The characters were interesting, there was a lot of action, some multiverse action, and interesting locations too. I recommend this book.
There were a lot of threads to this story which luckily most tie together at the end and explain things. The characters were interesting, there was a lot of action, some multiverse action, and interesting locations too. I recommend this book.
March 24, 2025
Another wow.
I would not have read this book if it had not been on Kindle. Now, I want to read all in the series. Good book.
I would not have read this book if it had not been on Kindle. Now, I want to read all in the series. Good book.
November 14, 2024
Wunderkind
ZZ Adams
Another book that begins by jumping between at least three principal characters and locations. There’s a cat burglar who gets caught trying to lift something from the British Museum. A spy tracking a child in the Tube. And 14 yr old Elliot Goshawk, who is off to study at Oxford and it seems was that child. Several laptops are mentioned so we have some notion of the period involved.
Next we have Elliot’s roommates, they have separate sleeping quarters. There’s a thirty-something Irishman studying Physics also Elliot’s Subject, Kat who studies history. And finally the haughty who seems rather full of herself.
At this point things start getting weirder and weirder. The plot shifts off world to other realities and our Elliot is attacked by spectral beings.
Book 2 is not on my to read list.
And I do wish authors would stop offering books I've already read as new gifts.
ZZ Adams
Another book that begins by jumping between at least three principal characters and locations. There’s a cat burglar who gets caught trying to lift something from the British Museum. A spy tracking a child in the Tube. And 14 yr old Elliot Goshawk, who is off to study at Oxford and it seems was that child. Several laptops are mentioned so we have some notion of the period involved.
Next we have Elliot’s roommates, they have separate sleeping quarters. There’s a thirty-something Irishman studying Physics also Elliot’s Subject, Kat who studies history. And finally the haughty who seems rather full of herself.
At this point things start getting weirder and weirder. The plot shifts off world to other realities and our Elliot is attacked by spectral beings.
Book 2 is not on my to read list.
And I do wish authors would stop offering books I've already read as new gifts.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews